Report Update from Beijing 

This conference was convened by the Chinese Medicine Speciality Committee on 2nd – 3rd October, 2013.

At the conference, Professor Mei was re-elected as the Vice-Chairman of the Chinese Medicine Speciality Committee.

This conference is an annual event in which updates are delivered on the latest research in Chinese herbal medicine and clinical developments taking place in China. Reports on this field were also delivered from around the world.

In addition to the re-election of the officers, this year’s main discussion was centred on the research of herbal formulations for various kinds of diseases currently prevailing in China. The list of conditions includes diseases of the lungs and the respiratory system; metabolic syndrome-related diseases as well as diseases related to the immune system such as cancer and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). For instance, in a recent examination of the 5,000 hospitals in China, superbugs were discovered in two out of the 37 hospitals surveyed in the south.

China is placing its emphasis on an integrative approach that combines Chinese medicine and Western medicine in order to resolve the immense health burdens of an ageing population. This resolve was highlighted by President Xi in his recent meeting with the WHO’s Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan when he emphasised development of Chinese medicine in other countries as the model worthy of serious consideration.